Many religious and spiritual traditions advocate that one day of every week is given over for prayer, dedication, rest and recuperation.

Whether you're religious or not, the practice of resting one day a week is something that we should all aim to do, as it has many benefits to our mental, physical and spiritual health.

My Detox Day

Some people call their rest day Sabbath. Others call it a day off. While I prefer to call it Detox Day!

My Detox Day takes place every weekend on either a Saturday or Sunday, and it involves stopping things that I overdo during the rest of the week.

These things include:

• Drinking too much coffee

• Eating too much chocolate

• Sitting down too long

• Spending too much time in front of a computer screen

• Spending too much time in air-conditioned rooms

• Spending too much time on social media

• Watching too much Netflix

In addition — and this may surprise you given the content of this site — I like to use my Detox Day to sleep in!

The Benefits of taking a Detox Day

Let me explain my rationale behind taking a Detox Day once a week.

First of all, let's talk about sleeping...

If you're a regular reader of this site, then you'll know that I've written extensively on the benefits of waking up early and starting your day early. However, like everything in life, there has to be a balance. So in this case, I recommend waking up early six days a week, and then allowing yourself to sleep in one day a week.

The benefits of doing this are clear to me.

When I first started a regime of waking up early at 6:45am I noticed that I quickly became fatigued and worn out. This was mostly fixed by adjusting my sleeping time by going to bed early. However, some weeks I was still feeling tired. By chance, one Saturday, my alarm failed to go off and I slept until 9:30am. Despite my initial shock of discovering I had woken up late, I noticed that on that day I had recovered my energy and felt good.

This incident made me think.

Was it possible that I was not getting enough sleep during the week? Even if it was just a few missing hours?

After testing a day of sleeping in every week for the last few months, I can say the answer is YES!

That's why I recommend you let your body recuperate and recharge by allowing yourself to sleep in for a few extra hours once a week. This will ensure you get adequate sleep and stay energised and ready to tackle your goals.

Give Your Mind and Body a Rest

The same principle that I've outlined above applies to your other excess habits.

For example, I love drinking coffee (vanilla latte is my favourite) but I'm well aware that the caffeine, sugar and their stimulus effect is unhealthy if taken to the extreme. Which is why I like to use my Detox Day to refrain from drinking any coffee or caffeinated drinks. 

I do the same with chocolate — giving myself a one day a week break from this delicacy.

Not only do I find that my body benefits from these breaks, but I've also noticed that the discipline of doing this has helped build my self-confidence. Probably because I realise that I'm no longer addicted to these products, and could cut that out completely from my life if needed.

In other words, my regular Detox Day has helped build my willpower.

And it could do the same for you...

Tips for Starting a Detox Day

The key to starting a weekly Detox Day is to make gradual changes.

What do I mean by this?

Don't try to change everything at once.

For instance, if you want to give yourself a break from computer screens, TV and social media — you could start off your first Detox Day by choosing not to open your computer. The following Detox Day, you could also choose not to watch TV. And on your third Detox Day, you could also cut out your use of social media.

The same applies to dietary changes.

Perhaps you love things like cake, Coca-Cola, burgers and alcohol.

My advice is to gradually remove these from your diet once a week, rather than trying to go cold turkey!

Beyond the Detox Day

In a perfect world, we wouldn't need a Detox Day.

We'd all be eating well, sleeping well, and exercising correctly.

Unfortunately, however, we don't live in a perfect world. Which is why I urge you take a Detox Day once a week.

This day of rest and change will break your bad habits, reset your mind and body, and will keep you on track for health and happiness.

Think of it as a day of self-care, where you can refresh and recharge. And be ready for the week ahead.

Happy Detox Day!

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